One Step At A Time
by SonomiArai
Summary: Samantha Walker is a young street fighter who lives in the streets and has hit her lowest. Will a chance encounter with Terry Bogard and Rock Howard help raise the young fighter from her troubles? What can she offer both of them in return? Done using 101 themes as chapters. OC centric. Alternate life from Operation: Terry Bogard Must Die, originally posted under ThePaintedSkies!
1. Prompt 1

Instead of this being a direct redux for Operation: Terry Bogard Must Die, the story goes differently. The main character isn't going to start off as such a… such a… prick? I don't know, but I do know she was a total jerk in the beginning. She'll be making a return as the main character, but she's not a homicidal nut case. So that makes this OC centric.

It's done in a 101 themes format, so the story will progress using the themes in order. The theme will not be revealed until the end. Might make this start following the Garou:MotW story and what I think might come after that in the future- well, with the main character altering the story, I guess... Might include a KoF tournament to allude to other characters. Slight warning for language. There are some curses here and there.

Well, here goes nothing! Hopefully it's interesting!

_**DISCLAIMER: **_**I do not own Terry Bogard or Rock Howard- SNK Playmore does. Only Samantha Walker is mine. **

_Prompt One: _

"I'm sorry… I won't be able to let you stay. My mom-"

"No, it's okay. You don't have to explain. I've got to go."

_Beep beep boop boop beep… _

"…"

"_This is Emily! Sorry, I'm not able to come to phone right now, but if you leave your name and-_"

_Click!_

"Dammit…"

A young woman bit her lip as she jammed her phone back into the pocket of her shorts. Her aqua iris' darted up towards the sky, noting it's dimming colors. Nightfall was coming, and fast. The girl let out a loud huff as she reached towards her duffle bag and brushed her sable hair out of her eyes. She started taking quick steps towards a seedy looking building and ducked inside, heading towards the elevator. She entered and pushed the button to the basement absent-mindedly several times. When she reached the stop, she weaved through the bodies of large men talking and flexing their muscles, reaching a wooden table that was severely damaged, one of the legs being held together by a cheap duct tape job. She cleared her throat, which caused the man at the other side who was organizing bets to look at her.

"Ah, Samantha, Dear! Good to see you! It's been a while, right? Need more cash again, eh?"

Samantha Walker gave a single nod. "Obviously, Jazz. Need to make enough to stay in a motel for the night. Got assed out from staying at friend's place tonight thanks to her mom's trip ending sooner than expected."

"You came to the right place then! You know no one ever plays their pot for you, so you know you'll get good money if you beat some ass out there, yeah?" Jazz grinned as he held a hand open. "Of course, you know the rules!"

"Yeah, yeah…" Samantha grumbled as she pulled her midriff sweater slightly away from her chest and rummaged briefly in her cleavage, pulling out a twenty dollar bill and tossing it on the table. "Contribute to the pot. Whatever. I'm going to go warm up now."

…

"And for the next match, The Tiger versus Sam!" The announcer yelled as he ducked out of the ring. A rather large man made his way into the ring, the floor bouncing with every step he made. The crowd roared and clapped loudly, the man raising his arms proudly. When Samantha stepped into the ring, the crowd laughed obnoxiously, jeering about the girl's appearance. She seemed so small next to the man, so they automatically pinned the fight as useless. Samantha rolled her eyes as she strode to her corner, expecting no less from the audience. It happened every time, she was used to it. "Idiots…" She quickly glanced among the crowd, and her eyes widened slightly as she caught what she thought was a familiar face. A blond hair, red eyed man looked between her and her opponent before he started talking to another taller, seemingly older blond. Samantha shook her head and dismissed it as a coincidence as she turned back to face her opponent across the ring.

"What's a little girl like you going to do, huh?" The Tiger bellowed as he gripped his abdomen, laughing. "Are you going to tickle me? Call me mean for hitting you? A little thing like you shouldn't even be here! Haha!"

Samantha quickly became irate as she cracked her knuckles, taking her fighting stance. "That's it. I'm not holding back. This one's getting his teeth knocked in…"

"Begin!" The MC called out as The Tiger lunged towards Samantha. Samantha, light on her feet, jumped back towards the corner of the ring and hopped over The Tigers head, flipping and giving the man a clear kick in the back of the head, causing him to smash against the padded corner.

The Tiger fell to the floor, covering his bloody nose, before rolling around onto his knees and looking at the girl in front of him. "You little Bitch! I was planning to go easy on you, but you just put me into a bad mood!"

"That's what they all say…" Samantha shrugged nonchalantly before going back to her fight stance. The Tiger ran towards her, aiming a punch, but Samantha dodged it quickly, getting in a sweep and knocking the man down to the floor before twisting her leg around and stomping on the guy's back a few times. She grabbed The Tiger's collar, lifting him from the floor, before unleashing a flurry of punches on his face. She then turned around and elbowed him, then twisted on a leg and kicked him, letting out an aero kinetic blast and sending the man flying, him flying over the ropes of the ring and crashing onto the floor with a loud thud.

The audience fell silent as The Tiger laid on the floor, not even budging. The MC came out from hiding and entered the ring, grabbing Samantha's wrist. "The winner… Sam!" He held her arm up in the air while the girl dully looked at the surprised crowd, none of them making even a peep.

Samantha lightly tugged out of the MC's hold as she jumped from the ring to the concrete floor, walking slowly to collect her money and find a decent motel to rest a few hours. "Maybe one day, they'll realize more than half of these competitors are chumps… If they do, that'll make me less cash though…"

…

As Samantha walked away from the seedy building, gripping her stomach as it growled loudly, a man wrapped his arm around her neck and he pulled her wrists together, lifting her slightly from the ground. "What the hell gives?!" The young woman began kicking her legs rapidly to break free.

"As if, bitch. You made our man Tiger look ridiculous out there." Another man said as he clapped his fist into an open palm. "So you're gonna pay for that dearly." The man winded his arm back before crashing a fist roughly against the girl's abdomen. Samantha let out a rough gasp as she tried to breath harshly, but wasn't given enough time as the man landed two rough punches across her face, causing her lip to draw blood. Samantha's vision began to blur as the other guy tossed her to the ground and fished for the money in her pockets.

Samantha weakly lifted an arm to try to stop them. "N-no… I… I need…"

"Ah, Shut it!" Both men kicked her stomach and legs multiple times while letting out rounds of laughter.

"Hey! What the hell do you guys think you're doing?!" Samantha heard footsteps approaching as her body shuddered from the pain, grateful that the men stopped attacking her.

"What the hell do you two blondies think you can do?!" The men looked between each other, pointing at the two men across from them and making ridiculous faces.

The older blond with longer hair looked at the younger, slightly shorter one, giving him a grin. "What do you say we show him what we can do, eh, Rookie?"

"You don't need to tell me twice." The younger blond quickly dashed towards the man who dealt most of the damage to Samantha, leaping and slamming a palm covered in chi against the side of his face, the man going down quickly. He recovered, aiming a fist towards the blond, but the blond quickly countered, slamming the gangster against the floor roughly.

The older blond slowly approached the other man, before pointing. "You're gonna regret doing that to a girl!"

The man scoffed as he looked at the man. "What do you think you'd be able to manage, pretty boy?! You look like you couldn't even hurt a fly!"

"Too bad you don't recognize me! I guess it's okay, since I'm probably going to beat you so bad, you'll probably forget even your own name!" The blond cranked his arm back before it was enveloped in a blue aura. He then took off, aiming his empowered fist at the man before him. "BOMB KNUCKLE!"

"Oh shit… Terry Bogar-!"

"Miss! Miss, stay with me!" The younger blond ran over to ailing Samantha, the girl breathing harshly. He gently lifted her back from the floor, brushing the hair from her face to uncover her heavily lidded eyes. "Miss!" Samantha's hazy eyes laid on the man's crimson orbs momentarily before she closed them momentarily.

"Rock, grab her and let's go! There's more of them coming!" Terry urged as he started leading the way, punching some guys to fend them off.

"Right! I'm sorry if it gets too shaky. You'll be okay, I promise!" Rock hooked his arm under one of the girls and placed the other arm under her knees and swiftly lifted her, running behind Terry.

Samantha blinked slowly as she felt her conscious slipping. She was hurting badly, and was disappointed that her money was stolen, but she smiled weakly. She was just happy she wasn't abandoned.

_End Prompt One: Happy_

(The happenings kinda betray happiness, but hey! )


	2. Prompt 2

_**DISCLAIMER:**_** I do not own Rock Howard or Terry Bogard, they belong to SNK Playmore. I own only Samantha Walker. **

_Prompt Two: _

"…Quiet."

"Huh?" Rock Howard blinked, turning his attention from the outside world out of the window onto the older man talking.

"I said she's awfully quiet, don't you think?" Terry Bogard said, crossing his arms as he took seat on the black leather sofa of his small apartment.

"Oh." Rock turned his attention back to the window, watching a pigeon disappear into the horizon. "You can't blame her, she was beaten up, had her money stolen, and was taken in by two strangers. I think I'd be pretty quiet if something like that happened to me too."

Terry sat in silence for a moment, contemplating what should be done. "I tried conversing with her several times with no success… I think you should do it."

Rock quirked an eye brow as he faced Terry. "If you, who's so jovial couldn't do it, what makes you think I could? I'll probably just make her feel uncomfortable."

"Aw, c'mon, give it a shot at least!" Terry urged as he stood to his feet, beginning to pace around. "Seriously, she just drinks water and hardly even touches any food she's given! She's gonna get seriously sick if something isn't done! C'mon, I'll go with you!"

Rock looked up at Terry, hesitant, before letting out a sigh and following him towards the bed room. Terry walked in, followed by Rock and they looked at the girl sitting on Terry's bed. A bandage was wrapped around her head, as well as her arms. She was wearing one of Rock's black shirts as a dress, and her bruised legs were covered with a blanket. She turned slowly, her sable bob following her movements softly. She stared at both men with her aqua eyes until her eyes widened and she pointed at the younger blond. "You… You're Rock, right?! Rock Howard?!"

Rock moved back slightly, eyeing Samantha. "Yeah… How do you know?"

"I'm probably going to seem totally crazy since you might have forgotten, but we used to be classmates! I mean, like, way back in the day… We were little tykes then, and I transferred while you were on leave, so…"

"Ah… Ah! From Kindergarten until second grade, right? Samantha Walker?"

Samantha beamed as she leaned forward excitedly, wincing slightly from the pain, but not minding too much. "You do remember me!"

Rock laughed lightly. "How could I forget? You kept offering me to play outside after school all the time, and in gym you always used to try and pick fights with me when you heard I liked fights."

"Oh… I see you remember…" Samantha rubbed the back of her neck gingerly, slightly pink in the face from remembering her adolescent antics.

"Rock in kindergarten… I'd like to hear about this!" Terry exclaimed jovially, seeming interested in the potential conversation.

"Ah, of course I'll tell you what I remember, Mr. Bogard! It's the least I can do to thank you for letting me stay here." Samantha smiled pleasantly.

Rock's expression dropped as he then turned to Terry, pushing the older man out of the room. "T-that won't be necessary! Get some more first aid materials, we'll need fresh bandages for Samantha soon!" And with that, the younger blond shut the door. There was a moment of silence as Samantha's eyes darted between Rock and the door, waiting either for it to open or the young man to start speaking. "I know you're still there, go get the materials!"

"Alright, alright… you're no fun…" Terry's footsteps echoed as he exited the apartment and it fell silent.

"Sam, Terry wouldn't let anything you tell him live down, so please…" Rock gave Samantha a look as the girl laughed lightly, trying not to over do it and hurt herself.

"I'm at that age, so I understand." Samantha then leaned against the back rest of the bed to support her weary body, the metal pipes not providing too much comfort, but it was at least better than trying to sit up on her own. "Anyway, who thought that we'd have a chance meeting like that! You saving my sorry behind after not seeing each other for a decade! Man, you've changed a lot. I know you were into fighting and stuff, but you didn't have such an intense aura. You were pretty chipper, and didn't seem so… bad ass."

"Bad ass?" Rock offered a lop sided smile before it melted back into his neutral expression. "Things just… happened, I guess."

"I see." Samantha nodded in acknowledgement as the two young adults then fell into a momentary awkward silence. "Sorry if I hit a land mine."

"Nah, you didn't. It's okay." Rock then turned around and reached for the door knob. "I'm going to make some lunch. You should eat some this time, you're probably malnourished."

Samantha nodded. With that, Rock pulled the door open and took a step out of the room. "Wait!" Rock stopped abruptly and turned around, facing Samantha, a curious expression on his face. "Your smile… No matter what happens, you shouldn't lose your smile. You should try it more often. Get used to it again."

"…Yeah."

_End Prompt Two: Smile_


	3. Prompt 3

_**DISCLAIMER:**_** I do not own Rock Howard or Terry Bogard. Only Sam.**

The sable haired girl roused from her sleep, sitting up, looking around in a drowsy haze. She rubbed her eyes roughly as she tried to focus her vision. In a bed not too far away, a young man slept. He was partially covered, muscled arm draped over his blanket and his blond hair, disheveled. The girl blinked her aqua eyes a few times, keeping her eyes trained on the boy, picking up how long it was between each breath he took as he slept serenely.

Samantha rose from the bed she was in, still a little shaky from beating she incurred from the two thugs a few days ago. Letting out a small huff, she began taking small steps towards the room door and peaked her head outside, watching the older blond man for a brief moment sleep on the leather couch. She bit her lip guiltily. Thanks to the kindness of these two men, she put them in an uncomfortable spot. They couldn't even sleep in their own beds, thanks to them trying to accommodate her to heal the best she could. She turned around slowly and re-entered the room, looking around. She eyed her duffle bag and crept up to it, rummaging inside and pulling out some clothes.

Samantha peeled off the over sized T-shirt she wore and slipped on a mid riff hoodie, zipped it, then pulled on shorts, buttoning it slowly. She figured since her bruises were healing, it was enough. She'd be able to at least fight weaker guys for money, considering she wasn't fully ready to go. She then slipped on her sneakers and gave Rock a once over before walking towards the door. "Thanks..." she uttered as a whisper, gritting her teeth from the slight pain the weight from her bag caused.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Samantha Jumped slightly, turning around to Rock's supposed sleeping form. He was sitting up, staring at Samantha, his scarlet eyes colored in a dim violet from the lack of light in the room. "I... uh..." Samantha blinked slowly, not even sure how to answer. She almost felt like a kid getting caught with their hand in the cookie jar. "Um... I feel fine now, so I don't want to cramp you guys up in here, so I was planning to take my..." before she could finish, Rock already rose from his bed and paced towards her, moving his leg and hooking both of hers, easily sweeping her from her spot. "OW!" She lost her balance as she nearly fell to her feet, but Rock held out an arm and caught her back, stopping her fall.

"You don't have to lie. We're helping you because we want to." Rock helped Samantha stand to her feet and slowly brought her back to the bed. "So stay put, so you can actually heal, okay?" The blond smiled as he pet Samantha's head, the girl pouting slightly. "I'll pretend this never happened, or else you'll hear it from Terry."

Samantha jumped back slightly before looking away. "Even though he has to sleep on that sofa? It's leather. That must suck."

"It's just how he is. Don't worry about it, okay? Now go on, get your rest."

Samantha nodded as she sunk into her bed. Hesitantly, she pulled the covers over her body and laid as comfortably as she could.

Rock made his way over to his own bed and hopped in, covering himself. He was a little surprised he was that sociable. He chalked it up to them being former acquaintances. "Sam, think of this as a home for now. At least while you recover. Don't go."

Samantha's eyes widened as she bit back tears threatening to spill. She gripped the blanket tightly, wishing her family would tell her those words. "Okay... Um... Good Night..."

"Good Night."

Rock hadn't realized the magnitude of those two words as Samantha continued to fight the tears from spilling, some escaping and dampening her pillow.

It's what she always wanted to hear...

_Don't Go._

**End Prompt 3: Don't Go.**


	4. Prompt 4

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Rock Howard or Terry Bogard- only Samantha Walker. **

_Prompt 4: _

"Nnngh… Argh!"

**THUD!**

A momentary silence dragged on until a loud sigh escaped the mouth of the woman laying on the ground. Her eyebrows knitted in annoyance as she carefully propped herself up on her elbows. She hardly even begun making an attempt to exercise, starting with push ups, and she was already covered in a light sheen of sweat. With a grunt, she went back into push up position and held herself up before starting to lower herself. The pained sounds that escaped her lips escalated until she let out a scream as her palms slipped and body gave way, crashing back down onto the wooden floor.

Samantha bit her lip, trying to quell the anger bubbling inside her body. She was bed ridden for two weeks already, she figured she should have healed long ago- but it wasn't the case. Her arms and legs throbbed while her abdomen unpleasantly burned. She curled up on her spot on the ground, softly placing a hand on her stomach, which lightly growled.

The adolescent tried her best to extend her arm and reach out to the sofa for support to stand, to no avail. A painful, burning sensation coursed through her body with each stretch of muscle, Samantha gritting her teeth through it all.

"Dammit… Dammit!" Samantha cried out, slamming a fist onto the floor, banging it down multiple times. "I… I can't even get up to feed myself?! This is pathetic! Everything I worked for…" The aqua eyed girl squeezed her fist tightly, drawing nail marks on her olive skin. "I'm so useless… I can't even recover from a single beating!"

"If you keep pushing yourself the way you are, of course you're not going to."

Samantha bristled as she craned her neck, looking at the figure staring at her from above. "T-Terry… When did you get back?"

"Soon enough to hear you berating yourself." Terry Bogard kneeled down and observed the girl on the ground, her short hair sprawled all over. "Why are you beating yourself up so much?"

"I'm penniless, relying on the kindness of two strangers, and can't even take proper care of myself… I tried exercising to recover completely sooner to get out of your hair, but I can't even manage that! It makes me so… so…"

"Frustrated?"

"Yes!" Samantha curled closer within herself. "It does! I hate it! Hate it! There hasn't been a moment where I hadn't relied on myself in the past year and a half, and because of some jackasses, it was stripped away so fast…"

"It's not forever." Terry pat the girl's head and smoothed down some of her wild strands. "Besides, I'm sure you've had friends that helped you, right?"

Samantha thought for a moment, then nodded slowly. She couldn't lie, her friends provided her with shelter and at times, food when she really needed it, yet couldn't afford it. She eventually paid them back, but the fact that they even did something like that made her a very fortunate person. She could have died in the streets, were it not for them. "I guess you're right…"

"See?" Terry smiled slightly as he got up and headed towards the kitchen. "So stop beating yourself up over silly things, okay?"

Samantha managed to offer a lop sided smile. It only lasted for a few moments, until the girl loosened up and waved a weak arm frantically. "Wait, are you just going to leave me on the floor like this?!"

She could hear a faint chuckle coming from the other side of her. Her expression dropped as she slowly tilted her head on the ground, catching view of the other person in the room. She hadn't noticed him ever enter. Her cheeks slightly rouged from the embarrassment as her eyes narrowed and lower lip jutted out. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh…" Rock Howard still grinned, amused by the girl's predicament. "I'm here to help you up."

Samantha's eyes followed him as he walked up to her and kneeled down, placing a hand under her back and propping her up. He then lowered his hand towards her waist and held on, using his other arm to hold under her knees and picked up the girl with ease, heading to the room with her, placing her down on the bed and covering her part way. She stared at Rock for a while, the blond shifting uncomfortably from her gaze. "What? Is there something on my face?"

The slightly younger girl shook her head as she smiled slightly. "I was just thinking… I was wondering "Is this what it's like to be married?" or something corny along those lines. I'm not used to being taken care of, so it feels a little like being pampered rather than it being for my health." The girl said, her words innocuous.

But unbeknownst to her, the blond was actually extremely bashful, and the words were like a cold slap to the face, bringing the current situation to light. He was now temporarily residing with a girl his age. A person of the fairer sex, not just another one of the guys. His cheeks were now tinged pink as he turned around quickly. "O-oh. Interesting… Um… I'm going to help Terry finish preparing you a meal. Knowing him, he'd probably prepare something and it'd end up like charcoal. I'll be back with your food soon."

"Thanks, _Dear_." Samantha emphasized, a huge grin on her face. Rock stopped in his tracks, straightening up considerably. He turned around slightly, most of his face covered by the neck of his jacket. "Sorry, just wanted to give that a try, seemed kinda fun!" The girl laughed innocently as she shifted on the back rest of the bed slightly. "Thanks, to both you and Terry. I was starting to feel pretty miserable. I'll try to take it one step at a time instead of getting frustrated."

Rock nodded a little awkwardly to show acknowledgement as he left the room.

Then he let out a quiet sigh. What a predicament.

**End Prompt 4: Frustrated. **


	5. Prompt 5

_Disclaimer: _I don't own anyone but Samantha Walker. Rock Howard and Terry Bogard belong to SNK Playmore.

_Prompt 5:_

It was a mundane day within the Bogard household. The three residents were gathered in the room, Samantha partially tucked into bed, her lap blanketed, Rock sitting at the foot of her bed and Terry standing in front of Samantha. The three of them were engaged in an array of conversations until the three of them hit an entertaining topic. "You're not serious, are you, Terry?" Rock laughed lightly, giving the older man a look.

"This ought to be entertaining, I say he should give it a shot!" Samantha grinned, holding on to her stomach, in light pain from laughing too hard.

"I'm serious! So, I can go on, right?" Terry asked, a goofy grin plastered on his face.

Rock sighed, smiling. "If Sam really wants you to, I have no complaints. Knock yourself out, Terry."

Terry nodded, crossing his arms. "You won't be disappointed! So you two ready?" He looked between the two teens, both of them nodding in approval. "Alright! So, Once Upon A Time, A-"

"You're not seriously starting that way, are you?" Rock asked while giving Terry a light punch. Samantha was trying her hardest to contain her laughter.

"Aww, c'mon! You're not giving me a chance to tell the story!" Terry whined as he waved an arm, emphasizing his words.

"Okay, okay, I'll try not to interrupt." Rock slightly tilted a brow as he gave a small grin.

"Alright, so! Once upon a time, an awesome girl named Samantha Walker finally recovered from her minor injuries. She quickly caught up with her strength training and was ready to take on the world. The pretty brunette joined a tournament with the greatest fighters to test herself, and as suspected, the girl knocked fighter after fighter out with her amazing skills!" Rock was shaking his head in amusement while Samantha nodded approvingly. Terry continued his tale. "In the final match, she ran into an old, powerful friend. The two fought to the best of their ability, the match causing a world wide uproar. Finally, there was a victor. Samantha stood, victorious, shining all around the world. She was wonderfully humble though, and held a hand out to her competitor. She showed him off to the world as well, knowing his help and strength allowed her to go as far as she did. They stared at one another, the thick silence filled with unspoken words. The two were in love, and they knew it. They left together, beginning a new life with one another, eventually bringing a darling daughter into the world. The end!" Terry waited expectantly, watching the two teens.

"What... the hell, Terry..." Rock stared at the older man incredulously.

Samantha on the other hand burst in laughter. "Jesus, that was so corny! But I have to admit, finding a good man out there would be cool! It would be nice to go with some guy who's strong enough to defend me instead of having to always back him up." The blue eyed brunette chuckled, covering her mouth with a hand.

"So, you enjoyed my story, eh, Sam?" Terry questioned, moving towards the young girl and shooting a thumbs up.

Samantha shook her head before shrugging lightly. "Only because you were considerate enough to give me a happy ending. I wouldn't mind a life like that. And besides that, you made me sound pretty badass!"

Terry beamed before giving Rock a strong pat on the back. "Well, you heard the girl. Not sure if you got the not so subtle hint, but the guy I fit in there was supposed to be you. Turn on your charm and get to work. I want to be a grand father before I die, you know!"

Rock's cheeks were now painted a vibrant red as he began swatting at the older man. "Haha, very funny, Jerk!"

Sam smiled softly as she let out a small giggle. "I'm not good enough?"

Rock leaned back as he waved his arms around, mortified. "T-That's not what I... I didn't mean..."

Terry and Samantha both erupted in laughter, giving each other a high five. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" The young woman leaned forward and pat the young man's back. "You're reactions are just pretty fun!"

Rock's scarlet eyes danced between Samantha and Terry as he crossed his arms. "I'll remember that..."

Samantha shot Rock a toothy grin while Terry snickered. "I'll be waiting for your revenge." Samantha then faced Terry, her lips curling into a smirk. "So, when's the next story time? I think next time should a bit more detailed." She winked and Terry nodded approvingly.

Rock grumbled while pulling his bangs back with a palm. "Geeze, glad to see you're happy now, but really, does it have to be at my expense..."

_**End Prompt 5: Story**_


	6. Prompt 6

_Disclaimer_: I do not own Rock Howard or Terry Bogard. They belong to SNK Playmore. I only own Samantha Walker and her family.

_Prompt 6:_

Samantha Walker was excited, to say the least. She zoomed down the block, loud taps echoed every time her sneaker collided with concrete. She was finally well enough to go outside, and she had no intention of waiting longer than she had to for her freedom. She enjoyed the feel of the warm sun against her skin, the girl running a hand on her bare arm. She spun around on a heel merrily and waved cheerfully. "Rock, you're so slow!"

The blond young man merely shrugged as he picked up his pace slightly. He reached Samantha's side, looking at the eager young lady. He couldn't help but give a small smile. "You should still take it a little easy. You just healed, I'm sure you wouldn't want to accidentally hurt yourself and end up back stuck in the bed, right?"

Samantha bristled and immediately stopped frolicking. "O-oh..."

Rock chuckled, placing a hand on Samantha's back, giving her a small shove. "Don't let that bother you so much, I'm just kidding with you."

The aqua eyed girl pouted as she began taking steps forward again. "That ain't cool."

"Neither was story time that day, and I'm not complaining." Rock rolled his eyes in faux innocence.

Samantha sucked her teeth and playfully shoved Rock. "You already did all of the complaining last week! What more could you possibly say about it?"

"I could say plenty." Rock grinned, stifling a laugh.

Samantha quirked a brow as she reached a hand toward Rock and ruffled his mussy hair. "You wise-"

_**GROOOWL!**_

Samantha blinked slowly, her eye lashes fluttering as her cheeks rouged. "U-Um..."

Rock laughed, shaking his head in order to put his hair back into place. "I can tell you're hungry! Tell you what..." Rock placed a hand on the small of Samantha's back and led her to a bench. "Wait here. I'll be back with some food, alright?"

Samantha nodded vigorously as Rock waved and ran out of sight.

Samantha remained seated for while, looking around curiously until her eyes landed on cold, sapphire orbs. She felt a shiver as the eyes owner approached her slowly. "Heh... Hahaha! To be expected... After a year and a half... Instead of relying on your pitiful, absolutely shameful "street fighting", you're off whoring yourself to men? That's you, alright!"

"M-Mom..." Samantha stood to her feet, clasping her hands together, her eye brows knitted. Her mother was the only person who managed to automatically instilled fear in her. She could feel her throat dry up and her stomach twist in knots. "He... he isn't... I'm not with him for money... He helped nurse me to health while I was in-"

"Please, like I want to hear your sappy lies." The tan skinned woman took a single step forward, pushing her thigh length sable hair off of her shoulder. "I know better than anyone that you amount to nothing better than dirt."

Samantha hung her head low, ashamed. Even more so that the woman before her was garnering an audience. "Mom... Why? I'm not even living with you. Why do you feel the need to do this?"

"I'm only putting a worthless tramp like you in your-"

"Hey!" Samantha's head bobbed up when she heard a familiar voice. "Who the hell are you to talk like that to her?!" Rock rushed towards the two, going in front of Samantha as he gritted his teeth.

"It's funny that you even get offended over trash like her." The cold woman smirked, her expression uncaring. "You should find a better fling instead of her, you might catch something. I can give her a quick beating if you'd like to get her out of your hair-"

"Listen, you... Even if you are a woman, I will not hesitate to beat the stupid out of you if you touch her!" Rock seemed furious.

"I'd like to see you even try, boy…" The woman uttered darkly as she grinned, not afraid. "Because with my profile, I can easily have you locked up for however long I please."

Rock clenched his fist as he took a step forward, but Samantha jumped in front of him, shoving him away with a shoulder. "Please… please, let's just get out of here."

Rock looked down at the young woman before him, the girl obviously uncomfortable with the present situation. He looked back at the woman before him before he wrapped the girl around an arm, as if shielding her away from the malicious being. "Okay… let's go home…"

"_Home_? Why would a street rat like her have one? I can easily report a kidnapping and have her taken out of there . Actually, I think I shall… Have you taken away from whatever excuse of a parent you have to be housing that pest, and have your parent arrested for their non-sense. You at least seem like a little boy. If you're not, I'd get even more pleasure seeing your _fire-y_ self locked away. Prepare to get a little visit."

The two teens began briskly walking away. Once they were far enough, Rock stopped and grabbed Samantha by one of her shoulders with his free hand, examining her. "Are you okay? Is she really going to do any of that? She seems like a whacked out bitch- I mean!"

"It's okay. As you can see, she really is one…" Samantha sighed, the girl mildly shaking from the shock of the situation. "Anyway, she won't. She's done that before. She just wants to scare away any source of help I have. She's disgusted by my existence for tarnishing her dojo's name. It's not important…"

"It is important… She's treating you as if you're not even human! Even if you did something wrong, you don't deserve that!" Rock reasoned with the young girl. "I mean, she's even threatening you to that extent…"

"It's okay. As long as I don't let it affect my life entirely… I'm able to move pass it anyway. It's been a year and a half, I can see through her. Everything she says… She'll never follow up on. They're empty words. Empty threats." Samantha then motioned her hands towards Rock's hand and peeled his fingers from her shoulders. "So let's just go. I'll be fine once I know I'm far away from her."

"…Okay." Rock began leading the way, completely forgetting the burger joint bag he had in one hand. He looked at it, thinking for a moment. "By the way… I got you an orange cream milk shake and a bacon cheese burger, for what it's worth."

"…" The girl turned towards Rock, her eyes lighting up. "Leave it to you to make me feel better so quick!"

Rock chortled as he handed her the bag. "Glad I can help somehow."

_**End Prompt 6: Empty Threat**_


End file.
